Clothes line and drier



Nov. 4, 1930. H. T. HORSCRAFT El AL 1,780,708

CLOTHES LINE AND DRIER Filed April 26, 1929 gwumtov Patented Nov. 4, 1930 HERBERT THOMAS .HORSCRAFT, OF VALLEY STREAM, AND

ST. ALBANS,

WILLIS Limo? me, or

NEW YORK criornns LINE Aim n'm'n Application filed April 26,

This invention relates to a class of devices adapted-to be used for permitting articles to be suspended from elevations. 7

Our invention has as its object primarily to provide a simple and eflicient device or line whereby articles when washed may be dried, and whereby articles may be aired by being suspended outside the building and especially at high elevations, and is of such form that articles may be hung on the entire length of the line and also permits any articles to be removed therefrom without removing the other articles which may be on the line, and all this is done in a manner which does not endanger the person performing this work as our invention provides for one of the supporting members of the line to be fastened across the window or structure from which it is operated and thus enables theuser of the device to stand in an erect position on the inside of the open window or structure while placing articles on the line or while pulling the line around. Another object concerns the use of a plurality of suspended pulleys so arranged as to permit much gg'eater clothes-line space in a given distance etween the supports holding the clothes-line than has heretofore been possible. Our invention consists essentially of a belt member from which a clothes-line is suspended by rods or spacers, the .belt moving about a plurality of laterally suspended. pulleys, such as to permit the use of the full clothes-line, and the pulleys are so mounted as to operate in a lateral plane and to permit the tightening or loosenin of the belt and clothes-line by freely'i ad ustable and laterally freely suspended pulleys which are suspended from and adjacent to an adjusting means attached to the support fastened to the window or other openings in a buildingor to other parts of any structure, especially at elevated heights, all of which adjusting can be done without causing the user to endanger himself as it permits the user or operator to'stand in an erect position inside the window, opening or place of operation to tighten or loosen the belt and clothes-line by means of one of the specially constructed features of our invention which 1929. Serial No. $58,388.

:is in'the form of movable arms lying in the same plane and from which a plurality of pulleys are suspended, and the adjusting device or means is so designed that it is fastened to the window, opening or structure from which the clothes-line is operated or ad usted. A practical embodiment of our invention s represented in the accompanying drawng, which forms part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views andwillbe pointed out in the claims attached hereto.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a composite plan and side elevation view of our device,

showing the belt and the clothes-line, em-

bodied in our invention, fragmented.

Fig. 2 is'a fragmented viewof the belt and clothes-line showing the manner in which articles are hung on the clothes-line.

. Fig. 3 is a top and side elevation view of the type of pulleys used in Fig. 1.

The device or adjustably clothes-line has two rigidly fixed supports 2 and 11. Support 2 which is a bracket or of the bracket type is fastened to a pole or similar support, being fastened thereto by means of the bracket 2 which is tightened by means of bolt and nut 1. Support 11 is fastened to a window frame or to any other rigid structure, from which the device is used or operated, by means of bolts or screws which are inserted through holes 13 cut in support 11, and fastened to the window iframe or other rigid structures of like naure.

' Arms 3 are rigidly bolted together at one end on to 11p 23 of bracket 2 by means of bolt and nut 20, one arm being lapped on the other at this position of fastening. Arms 3 are further secured so as to prevent lateral motion in opposite directions from each other by means of cross-member 4 which is bolted to arms 3 by bolts and nuts 21. Arms 22 are adjustably supportedby bolt 14 such that bolt 14 acts as a pivot and permits arms 22 to move laterally and in the same plane. Arms 3 and 22 are so attached to supports supported I 2 and 11, respectively as to make arms 3 and 22 lie laterally and in the same plane.

Eye bolts 10 which are each threaded at one end are fastened to arms 22 b bolts and nuts 15, the bolts 15 passing t rough the eyes of eye bolts 10 such as to permit eg'leebolts 10 to pivot about bolts 15. The t aded ends of eye bolts 10 are inserted in slots 16 which are cut in support 11, the eye bolts'being. secured to support 11 by means of wing nuts 12 which screw on to the threaded ends of eye bolts 10. Slots 16 are cut wide so as to permit free lateral movementof e e bolts 10 which are inserted in the slots. owever, the vertical depth of slot 16 is cut so as to allow just sufiicient clearance as will permit the threaded end of eye bolts 10 to slip freely into the slots 16, but will not permit free vertical motion. B means of eye bolts 10 which are pivote y attached to arms 22 by bolts 15, the arms 22 may be laterally ad usted in either direction by taking up on or loosening wing bolts 12. Slots 16 are cutbroad so as to permit eye bolts 10 to adjust themselves when-wing nuts 12 are taken up on or loosened in the course of adjusting arms 22.-

From arms 3 and 22 are suspended dpulleys 8 by means of spindles 7 which spin les are rigidly secured to arms 3 and 22 and pass through the centers and attached to pulleys 8 such as to allow free rotation of pulleys 8 on spindles 7. Pulleys 8 are of the drum type and have a broad beveled base. The pulleys 8 suspended by means of splndles 7 from arms 3 rotate laterall and in a fixed position. Pulleys 8 suspen ed by means of spindles 7 from arms 22 are freely suspended and oppositely dis osed from pulleys 8 which are suspende from arms 3. Pulleys 8 suspended from arms 22 may work in varied positions in a lateral plane by ad usting the pivoted arms 22 w 'ch are free to move in a lateral plane.

Belt member 6 which is of the endless type of line, rope or cable is supported on and rotates aroundpulleys 8. The clothes-line 5, which is also of the endless type of line, rope or cable, is attached to and spaced or suspended from belt 6 by means of spacer rods 9 which are rigidly attached to both belt 6 and clothes-line 5. Thus as belt 5 is rotated about pulleys 8, the belt carries with itclothes-line 6, in such manner'as to keep clothes-line 6 free of pulleys 8, this being accomplished b means of the spacer rods which are s ciently long to keep the clothes-line free of and away from the pulle s on which belt 6 is supported and about which it rotates. The belt member 6 and clothes-line 5 are adapted to be manually moved back and forth as desired. An slack which may occur in belt 6 and clothesline 5 can be taken up by taking up on eye bolts 10 with wing nuts 12 which through means of eye bolts 10 spread arms 22 which in turn separate. pulleys 8 which are suslong as there is suflicient "tension in belt 6 and clothes-line 5.

To operate the device the belt member 6 1s manuall swung in th back and orth by merely reaching the arm out of the window, opening or from place of operatlon, and moving the spacer rods in the direction in which it is deslred to rotate the belt. During the rotation of the belt member, clothes and other articles as 18 may be suspended at intervals from clothes-line 5, which rotates simultaneously with the belt member, by means of commonly used clothes-plns as 17 or the like. Thus, we provide a simple and eflicient clothes-line whereby various articles may be exposed to tl1e air at high elevations without requirmg the person usin the clothes-line to I'lSk the danger of leamn out of the window, or other opening 0 the building or other structure on which the device is operated or used.

In the foregoing description we have embodied the preferred form of our invention, but we do not wish to be understood as lim- 1t1n ourselves thereto, as we are aware that mo 1ficat1ons may be made therein without departmg from principle or sacrificing any advantages of this invention, therefore we reserve to ourselves the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of the character described, a su porting member, a pulley supported there y, a second supporting member, levers plvoted thereto, a pulley at the free end of each lever, means adjustably positioning the levers laterally of a straight hne joinin the supportlng members, and a line trained a out the said pulleys.

2. An adjusting means for a clothes line comprismg a supporting member, divergent lever arms pivoted thereto, a pulley on each lever arm eccentric to the pivotal mounting thereof, and means connecting the lever arms with thesupportmg member for adjusting the pos1t1on of the said lever arms.

3. An ad usting means for a clothes line y comprising a supportlng member, lever arms pivoted thereto to swin in the same plane, a pulley at the free en of each lever arm, and means connecting the said lever arms e desired direction I memos subscribed our names.

HERBERT THOMAS HORSCRAFT. WILLIS LEROY KING.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto 

